Genius hacks for festive food storage

Written by GHI Team | 21 December 2017

Stocking up for Christmas? Here's how to cram it all in...

Fridge and freezer jam packed? Kitchen cupboards fit to burst? At this time of year, we spend nearly double our usual weekly shopping bill on food and drink. Problem is, where does it all go?
Relax, here’s how to store your Christmas and New Year food shopping and keep it fresh:

First things first...
1. Create some room! Before you stock up, have a bit of a sort out in your cupboards and fridge/freezer first. You could have things on your shopping list lurking at the back of your cupboard or in your freezer that you’d forgot about. There could even be things in the cupboard or fridge that are out of date and need binning!

Fridge full?

2. Some things must go in the fridge. This means anything with a ‘use by’ date or that says ‘keep refrigerated’ like milk and meat. And make sure the temperature’s set to 5°C* or slightly lower; any higher and food will go off quicker. GHI Tip: Don’t forget that every time you open and close the fridge door (and you’ll be doing this much more than usual), you’ll affect the temperature. So try not to stand gazing into the fridge too much!

3.Make space by taking things out that don’t need to be there, like bread. Bread can go stale faster in the fridge, so pop it in the bread bin or freezer. There are plenty of other foods that don’t need to be there, too.MORE: 9 THINGS YOU SHOULDN'T STORE IN THE FRIDGE

11. Tempting if it’s empty, but it’s not clean or climate-controlled, and could play home to pests or rodents.

12. Don’t leave drinks sitting by the back door, either. These could end up frozen, and may attract attention from animals on the prowl.
If you are storing drink outside for a party, get a cheap plastic dustbin with a lid. You can buy bags of ice very cheaply, so don’t feel you need to fill your freezer up with ice-cube trays in the run up to a party.